On February 6th, anarchist comrade Panagiotis Aspiotis is transferred
from Navplio prisons allegedly to Koridallos prisons. In reality they
transferred him to the isolation section of the metagogon (transfer
detention cells bulding). A bit later it became known that the comrade,
while having his arms tied up behind his back, got attacked by the
cowardly hooded thugs of the anti-terrorist force who seriously injured
him during but also after the reason for their visit which was no more
than to extract a DNA sample. Later the comrade was transferred to the
hospital for exams. (more…)

English language audio interview that was conducted in October 2015 with an anarchist prisoner in Korydallos prison, Greece who is part of the Network of Imprisoned Fighters (DAK). Topics covered include conditions inside Greek prisons, the current struggles of prisoners and the situation of the Greek prison society.

Network of Imprisoned Fighters (DAK) announce the end of their 48 day old hunger strike after a vote in the Greek parliament paved the way for a significant portion of the comrade’s demands to be met.

These include: redefining of the legal framework regarding Type-C prisons, revision of the so-called ‘Hoodie Law’ (severe sentencing for those caught committing crimes while masked) – judges will now be able to exercise their own discretion in such cases, the involvement of an independent expert from the first stage of DNA collection in cases that involve DNA evidence and the release from prison to house arrest for N17 comrade Savvas Xiros who is extremely unwell and legally considered to be 98% disabled; this would also apply to all prisoners who are considered to be 80% disabled or over.

“These 48 days of tenacious struggle at a tactical level ended with a positive outcome that reaped dividends for those at ‘the bottom.’ A positive result also for the global fight against the bosses and the new totalitarianism which they impose as well as another step closer towards a classless society. Our aim is to use this victory and the new territory gained to become even more dangerous to those in power. We share the life-giving flames of victory with all those who saw this struggle as a common cause and took part in our fight.”

[…] When we started the hunger strike, we knew it would be an uphill struggle that would stretch us to our limits. And it’s true that some of us, after 40 days of tough struggle, run the risk of developing serious health problems. Nevertheless, we’re not going to concede any ground to anyone who’s taking advantage of the government’s strategy in their attempt to wear us down and annul the effectiveness of our struggle. Therefore, we reiterate that we continue the hunger strike until the fulfillment of our demands, despite the visible risks to our health. We owe it to all the comrades who’ve felt we are giving a joint struggle against the state of exception, but above all we owe it to our own selves and to the means of fight that we have chosen. We invite all comrades to reflect on the cruciality of the situation (four comrades have been on strike for more than 40 days) and turn Every Day of Hunger Strike into A Day of Action.

Every fight exhausts its potential only when we give up, and this fight has neither exhausted its potential nor completed its cycle.*

PS.1: Yesterday [April 10th], our comrade Tasos Theofilou stopped the strike as well. We walked together this far, and remain united in our common struggle. Tasos, we wish you a good recovery.

PS.3: Solidarity with the migrants who went on hunger strike at the concentration camp in Paranesti, near Drama.***

Until the End – Until Victory
Not One Step Back

Network of Imprisoned Fighters
_

Translation notes:

* A reference to the opinion expressed by imprisoned comrade Nikos Maziotis.

** According to our information so far, the prisoners who remain on hunger strike are eight anarchists of the Network of Imprisoned Fighters (DAK), Andreas-Dimitris Bourzoukos, Antonis Stamboulos, Argyris Ntalios, Dimitris Politis, Fivos Harisis, Giorgos Karagiannidis, Grigoris Sarafoudis and Yannis Michailidis, as well as communists from Turkey & Kurdistan incarcerated in Greek prisons.

*** On April 10th, the No Lager Assembly in Thessaloniki, having established ties of solidarity and constant communication with the imprisoned migrants, reported that only one migrant is still on hunger strike in Paranesti camp, also noting that comrades from various collectives in Thessaloniki, Drama, Patras, Athens and other places supported and publicised the strike.

Eight anarchist prisoners of the Network of Imprisoned Fighters (DAK) are still on hunger strike in different hospitals and Greek prisons, demanding the abolition of type C maximum security prisons; abolition of the antiterrorist legislation (articles 187 and 187A); abolition of the anti-hoodie law; abolition of forcible taking of DNA samples, abolition of analysis of DNA samples that contain a mixture of genetic material from more than two individuals, access to DNA samples for analysis by a biology expert witness trusted by the accused; and the release of the polytrauma patient, 17N prisoner Savvas Xiros. According to the latest medical report, all comrades are in critical condition. (more…)

DAK [Network of Imprisoned Fighters] – 35 Days of Struggle – Victory to the Hunger Strikers

Comrades inside the prison of Larissa raised a banner in solidarity with the hunger strikers who request the abolition of the “hoodie law”, abolition of type C prisons, abolition of antiterrorist laws, delimitation in the use and analysis of DNA, and the release of polytrauma patient Savvas Xiros.

In spontaneous response to the call from the Network of imprisoned social fighters we have performed a symbolic solidarity action – which took the shape of devastating the facade of the Greek embassy in Warsaw, Poland, on the morning of April 1st. Symbolic, because real solidarity is shown in everyday struggle against our enemies. Reputation of the Greek State is already stained so only facades were clean.

INTERNATIONAL CALL for revolutionary solidarity with the political prisoners on hunger strike since 2nd of March in Greece

At the present moment, the imprisoned anarchists, members of DAK (Network of imprisoned social fighters), A. Stamboulos, A. Theofilou, G. Karagianidis, D. Politis, F. Charisis, A. Dalios, D. Mpourzoukos, G. Sarafoudis, G. Michailidis, the members of the “Revolutionary Struggle” N. Maziotis and K. Gournas, the member of “17th of November” D. Koufontinas, a number of Turkish political prisoners and the prisoners G. Sofianidis and M. S. Eltsibach, are on a hunger strike, fighting against the repressive legal state of exception which has been established by the Greek state since the beginning of 2000.

Starting 2nd of March, along with the comrades outside the prison walls, we commenced a struggle for the abolition of Type C high security prisons, the abolition of the “anti-terrorist” law, the abolition of the “hoodlaw”, the radical change in the process of taking and identification of DNA samples, the release of the seriously sick member of 17N, S. Ksiros.

Our struggle for the fulfillment of these demands is a struggle against the core of the state of emergency. It is a struggle against the core of the new totalitarianism which has been enforced by the state of Greece, as well as by the rest of the states globally.

*Recognizing the fact that the nexus of dominance’s designs transcends the narrow geographic borders of national states, we call all the comrades to support our fight.*

*We call all comrades to act in solidarity on the 1st of April, sending a message of revolutionary unity.*

VICTORY TO THE STRUGGLE OF THE HUNGER STRIKERS
IMMEDIATE FULFILLMENT OF ALL THE DEMANDS
FOR THE ABOLITION OF STATE AND CAPITALISM

Today, Monday, March 23, I join the hunger strike that aims to counter-attack the ever increasing repressive campaign of the State against the anarchist movement and generally anyone who resists. I will be the last participant from the Network of Fighting Prisoners who joins the strike, as the comrades Rami Syrianos and Spyros Stratoulis, can not participate because they have not yet fully recovered from last year’s multi-day hunger strike.

We demand:

– The abolition of articles 187 and 187A (counter-terrorism laws).

– The abolition of the law concerning special repressive treatment to actions commited wearing a hood.

– The abolition of the legal framework that sets the function of type C prisons.

– The release of the guerrilla of R.O. 17th November Savas Ksiros, so that he can receive the healthcare he needs.

– The abolition of violent DNA sampling.

– The access to DNA samples by a biologist who the defendant trusts.

– The abolition of the analysis of samples that contain mixed DNA from more than two persons.

Today, Saturday 21/03 in the morning, about an hour after midnight, comrade Fivos Harisis, after having suffered a fainting episode in his cell, was initially transferred to the infirmary and then to the “hospital” Saint Paul of Korydallos prison. Although the doctor signed a referral for his transfer to an outside hospital, for unspecified reasons, Fivos remained in a hospital cell for the whole night, although it was at hypoglycemic shock limits with his sugar index reaching up to 45. The suffering of the comrade continued until 10 am, when the procedure for his transfer to “Attikon” hospital begun.
Yesterday, the comrade published a text informing us about his experience in Tzanio hospital:

Today, 20/3, and while being on the 19th day of hunger strike, I was transferred, after three hours of staying in the “hospital” of Korydallos prison, to Tzanio with the suffocating escort of EOM and EKAM (special police squads). My transfer to a tertiary hospital was deemed necessary as during my today’s medical review, my personal doctor Sakkas Spyridon diagnosed low blood sugar values (59), malaise, dizziness in addition to the fact that I’ve lost 9.3 pounds equivalent to 12.8% of my body weight.

During my stay in Tzanio all examinations were taking place under the suffocating presence of cops, a fact that didn’t irritate doctors at all, as they appeared to be very familiar with it. It is worth pointing out that during two medical tests the cops were willing to remove my handcuffs but the doctors did not let them, thus I had to be examined in irons. After all examinations were done and while I was lying handcuffed on a stretcher with four cops above my head, a doctor came in and started to inject sugar water into the tube they were using to get my blood sample, without asking me. When I realized what was happening (because I had my eyes closed at the beginning) I stopped her and removed the injection myself, asking her intensely why was she doing that without asking me while clarifying that the hunger strike I am on is my conscious choice and that I want to control the current decay of my body. After a short debate the doctor clarified in a harsh way that I as prisoner and a patient will do what the doctors say, not what I want and then she left. After ten minutes, the manager of the pathology clinic, Drimis Stylianos, made clear to me that if I do not accept the serum, I can not be hospitalized. To my arguments that the care of a hunger striker in the hospital is not about administrating serum but offering the best conditions possible in relation to the prison hospital and the direct control of vital organs, he repeated that there is no way for me to be hospitalized without serum. Finally, after my refusal to receive serum, to my question if he takes the responsibility to return me to prison with my blood sugar at the limits of a hypoglycemic shock, he replied that he does and that he has even signed the paperwork that would send me back to prison.

The doctors in each case must learn to step up and not work as subordinates of the cops when the patient happens to be a prisoner. The hunger strike is a conscious political choice of resistance. A choice made knowing the risks beforehand. The medical staff must be next to the patient by providing (in agreement with him/her) the necessary care instead of acting in a repressive way, just like another prison guard. From my side, I continue the hunger strike with no intention to retreat, supporting the demands of the Network of Fighting Prisoners:

– Abolition of counter-terrorism laws 187 and 187a

– Abolition of the law concerning special repressive treatment to actions commited wearing a hood.

– Limiting the use of DNA as a evidence.

– Abolition of type C prisons

-Release of the heavily injured urban guerrilla Savvas Ksiros, in order for him to receive the medical treatment he needs.
For every day that passes and for any deterioration of our health condition, the government of SYRIZA and specifically the minister of Justice Nikos Paraskevopoulos are to be held accountable.

After the deposition of the legislation of the Ministry of Justice, there appears to be a first victory of the political prisoners’ hunger strike.

The abolition of the legal framework that defines the operation of the C’type prisons and the beneficial provisions for patients and disabled prisoners, that lead to the release of multi-injured guerilla of the revolutionary organization 17 November, Savvas Xiros, would feel (or at least not so soon) without the struggle that is being carried out. But there is much more to happen.

We do not care for any governmental statement or any promise coming from state employees. Every authoritarian mechanism that deals with a hunger strike by its stated enemies will go into a deterioration war that will include promises, negated deadlines, vague statements and anything that could wear us down physically and/or psychologically. Especially Syriza, who all during its political life as a major or minor opposition demeaned and de-politicized the hunger strikes carried out by anarchist hostages, has great experience in the systemic managing of such situations. (more…)